The World Carries On
by MrsDarcy14
Summary: Sixteen years after a night of heartbreak, Tony DiNozzo is faced with someone who he never thought he would see, someone who he never even knew existed. A tall brunette suddenly changes everything, and in ways Tony never thought possible.
1. Chapter 1

The clipped sound of her heels echoed off the brick walls as she hurried down the empty street, trying to lose her pursuer.

"Anna!" the voice called out, and she noted the desperate tone in his voice. Serves him right, that jerk. Running was hard for her these days, even with her extensive Navy training. She stepped into the street, hoping to find something, or someone, to tell her this was all a nightmare. To help her wake up.

Her coat blew around her, hugging her legs tightly, and the black dress she had on flapped at her mockingly. When Anna was picking out the shoes to complete the outfit, she hadn't planned on using them in an escape, and now felt the throbbing in her ankles.

Anna was spun around quickly as he grabbed a hold of her sleeve, and the man bent over and grabbed a hole of his knees for support as he breathed in deeply.

"What?" she shrieked, "what else could you possibly want from me? Everything I had I gave to you, and then you went ahead and threw it in my face." By now, Anna was crying, but she continued anyways. "The last three years of my life have been spent waiting for you. For you to call, for you to write, but no. I got nothing!" She laughed darkly. "Well, that's not true. I do have something. It's just not what I expected." He looked up at her in confusion, his green eyes shining in the streetlights. "Do you know what that thing is? Do you, Tony? No, because every time I try to tell you something, you run away. Well, now you don't have to come crawling back, because we're done. You are nothing but trouble for me, and it's been rocky for some time now. I need you to stop following me. I need you to leave." She took a step back. Normally, she never would have said anything that direct. Being shy helped keep her emotions under control.

Tony stood up and faced Anna with a blank face. "Anna, please, just listen. Let me explain –"

"Explain!" Anna whipped around to face him, "explain what?! There is nothing to explain, Mr. DiNozzo, just the fact in front of us that I'm..." her voice trailed off, and she staggered back on her heels, hitting the curb of the street slightly. _He doesn't know_, she thought, _and I want it to stay that way._

Blind to what she had just said, he plowed on in his speech. "I mean, I know I've been kind of flaky, but there is a reason. A good reason, too. Not just some made up, stupid...thing."

From the way that Anna was looking at him, he knew his argument was losing, and quickly.

"Tony," she said softly, "look at us. We're twenty-five years old, and begging to stay together. We have our whole lives ahead of us, and we need to start living. It was great while it lasted, but we need to move on." As she finished, Tony looked like he wanted to say more, but Anna just shook her head.

"No more worries. No more waiting for the other to call. You'll be fine." Tony looked almost hurt at this, but she finished with, "you always are."

But not this time, he thought. Her hair blew around her face, making her dark eyes seem black in the lack of light. He had always loved the deep chocolate curls that framed her face so nicely, and his heart ached at the thought of losing it all. She had brought up a good point, though. Every other time he had been able to pick himself up and move on, like nothing was the matter. He had told her that himself. But this time would be different, he could feel it. The other girls had never quiet acted like this and caused him to have so much, _passion_. Not once before had he felt that, but Anna had brought it out. He felt real, he felt alive, and he felt love. For Tony Dinozzo, this was a dangerous thing. Love showed weakness. His father had shown him that plenty of times.

Anna's eyes were passive and hard as Tony looked at her once more before letting her go. She was tall, about five foot seven or eight. Her hair was that dark brown and fell down to below her shoulders in waves and curls. Years or soccer and dancing had toned her body, and made her a strong Navy recruit. He hated it when she had to tuck her hair into the little hat that went with her uniform and she despised the color of the outfit. Many jokes had come out of that, and Tony thought back, _Where did things go wrong? What happened here_

A whisper escaped Anna's lips, and then she turned and left. "Goodbye."

Tony felt himself falling apart inside, everything turned into chaos; like someone had turned on the heat, causing his organs to melt and blend. He kicked a small pebble on the ground with his foot and looked down. A receipt had been dropped there, and not really sure what to do, he picked it up. Only one item had been bought, and the date showed the day before. Rain started to fall onto the small paper, and Tony looked up, but realized that it was his own tears. Folding the slip, he placed it into his pocket and headed home.

**Hey! Thank you so much for reading, I really love writing NCIS. This story is going to be a shoter one, but longer than an episode would be. P.S. - in case you didn't get it, this is sixteen years in the past. Don't worry, it will all catch up and make sense next chapter. Hope you like it, review and leave your comments! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you all so much. Honestly, this is the most response I have ever gotten about one chapter, and I can't wait to write more! ****At this rate, it will be about one to two chapters a week. ****Thanks, and here's chapter two!**

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**Sixteen years later...**

Tony banged his head against the soda machine one more time before calling it quits. He gazed up at the lone bottle of Diet Coke and pleaded, "Please? Please, just move to the right a few more inches..."

Ziva was across the room looking at him like he was a fool. "Tony, I know people are what they eat, but talking to food? This is new." He threw her an angry look from under his lashes and muttered, "I wasn't actually talking to my food, Ziva." And hit the machine one more time before grabbing a seat at the table with his teammate.

"Ya, Tony, you were." Gibbs retorted as he entered the small lunch room. Tony opened his mouth to explain, but thought better of it and slouched down. "One lousy soda..." he whined. Ziva huffed a deep breath and walked over to the vendor. One swift kick later and the soda rattled at the bottom of the dispenser tray, a triumphant look on Ziva's face. She walked over to Tony and dropped the plastic bottle on the table in front of him, his mouth set in a firm line. Gibbs unwrapped his sandwich with a chuckle and looked up at the younger man, who was mumbling to himself and opening the drink.

"McGoo!" Tony cried out with new found elation, "Seeing you brightens my day considerably." McGee looked at him warily, not knowing where Tony was going. "And why is that?" he asked slowly. Tony pretended to look hurt, playing it all up. "Oh, McGee. You are so funny. When I see you, it makes me realize how lucky I am." A wide grin splayed across Tony's face and McGee just rolled his eyes.

Instead of replying, he crossed the room to Gibb's, showing him the papers no one saw he was carrying. "Boss, a call just came in from the local Leo's. There's a house on the nearby Navy base that got a call about shots being fired and screams were heard. The director wants us to go check it out."

Gibbs sighed and put his sandwich down, looking up at his team. "Well, you're still here? Get your gear, we're heading out."

At the house, the flashy yellow tape was loosely hanging around the yard and keeping people out. The team rolled up in the standard blue vehicles, and got out to survey the scene. It was a sunny day, so Tony put his hat on.

Gibbs had said the case wasn't much to worry about; they were just there for reinforcement and to calm the local people. He hated cases like this, where he wasn't really important, and just for show. Sighing, he watched McGee get his camera out and ready for the routine shoot, and Ziva grabbed a clipboard out of the trunk of the car. Gibbs was on the phone with Vance getting the last of the details. Luckily, not too many people were mulling around the tape, which made their job a hell of a lot easier. Dealing with civilians could be trick, especially when guns were involved.

His thoughts were interrupted when Gibbs, still on the phone, yelled out, "What? He's still in the house?" Tony placed his hand on his gun and walked over to his boss, asking what he meant. "The guy who went gun crazy is still in the house, and no one decided to tell us. McGee, you get those people away from the house incase anything happens. Ziva, you and I will take the back. Tony, you get the front and McGee, follow once the civilians are gone." The team broke and ran to their places.

A series of three gunshots rang out of the house, and a loud scream followed it. The sound of the backdoor being broken open reached Tony, and he entered from the front. The first room he reached was the living room, a comfortable yellow shade with two couches and a TV. Well, it would have been nicer if not for the trail of blood leading to the kitchen.

Making sure the next few rooms were clear, he met up with Gibbs in the kitchen. Ziva was checking the upstairs when they heard the footsteps. A man rounded a corner and shot wildly at the fridge, causing something to break and leak onto the floor. "Drop your weapon!" Gibbs yelled at the man, who had started to shake extremely hard. Tony's eyes never left the barrel of the gun as it floated in between him and his boss. "Marine, put your gun on the floor!" he repeated, and Tony wondered how Gibbs knew who he was. "Now!"

But the man had other plans than listening to what Gibbs told him. Both he and Tony whipped their guns up to firing position, and Tony waited for the order to shoot. The Marine's hand raised the gun slowly to his own head and he recited something that Tony didn't recognize. "Meus vicis est perfectus. Permissum mihi invado pacis." before pulling the trigger. Gibbs lowered his gun, and Tony gaped at him. "You just let him kill himself! How, why..." but Gibbs just shook his head. The two lowered their guns and Gibbs headed over to the man lying on the floor. Tony now saw what he had obviously missed before; the man was wearing a Marine suit. His hat had fallen to cover up the massive hole in his head, which looked respectful.

Footsteps echoed from down the hall as Ziva flew down the stairs. "Clear!" she barked as she ran into the kitchen. She took one glance at the Marine, then at Gibbs, before saying; "There is no one upstairs, but I heard the gunshot and thought..."she trailed off.

"Well, this doesn't explain who was screaming, though." Tony covered for her. "We had reports of hearing a female in the house, so this doesn't add up. He is obviously a man, unless his range can reach much high than mine." Ziva shot Tony a look for making jokes at a crime scene, but that's just what Tony did. He made himself laugh so he wouldn't be so uptight. He never liked that part of authority, but he most definitely liked the perks that came with it, like the backstage access, the respecting looks, and the women who worked there.

McGee burst in through the back door, out of breath and the camera swinging wildly around his neck. "I heard the gun shots, and..."

"Already called that line, Tim" Ziva said with a worried smile.

Tony explained what had happened with the Marine as McGee took pictures of the man. They pulled the bullet from the fridge, and saw that it had struck a jug of milk.

Tony stood, gazing into the food box, as Gibbs called out, "Hey, DiNozzo, you getting a snack, or retrieving evidence?" But Tony hadn't heard him. He was staring at a strange sight. Tim popped his head over the door and said, "That's funny, she puts her celery inside of the peanut butter to store it."

"She?" Tony asked, finally pulled out of his reprieve. "Ya, I was asking the neighbors about who owned the house while getting them to leave, and they said the ladies name was-"

"Ziva!" Gibbs yelled. The woman had stepped on the Marine's sleeve, and had caused the body to shift. "Ah! Sorry, boss." She replied quickly and stepped back, taking over the pictures for Tim.

Everyone turned away, but Tony grabbed McGee by the sleeve of his arm as he shut the refrigerator door and said, "McGee, the name. What was the woman's name who owns this house?"

The younger man looked at the other quizzically, and questioned, "Why so interested? Wondering if she has an older daughter?"

"McGee! This isn't funny." Tony spoke through his teeth. His eyes were strangely bright and wild, his pulse racing, and his breath coming in short intakes. He had backed McGee into the counter, his hand still clutching his sleeve. Ziva had stopped taking pictures and was staring at the two men while Gibbs was about to intervene.

"Jeez, Tony. Ok. The name was -"

As soon as Tony heard the name, Tim's coat slipped through his fingers. He took a step back to give himself some space while he took in the kitchen. Now, he recognized the style of the room.

Ignoring the calls of the rest of his team, he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He picked up one of the books crowding the shelf and looked at the name label. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to block out the memories that came to mind. He dropped the book on the couch and stalked up the stairs. Pictures hung on the hallway, and unable to hide the reality anymore, he took a glance at them.

One had a taller woman with dark curls covering her face, and she was laughing at something the photographer had said.

Another was of a graduation day, a familiar face wedged between her parents.

Tony reached the second and top floor and walked into the bedroom. The clothes were strewn all over the floor in a lazy pattern, the day's clothes flung to the left and pajama's thrown to the right. A mile high stack of books laid by the bedside, next to two additional pictures.

The first was Anna. It showed her in her Marine's uniform, smiling and waving to the other person.

The last had a little girl who was looking at the camera. She had no smile on her face and was looking off in the distance, but had a hard set to the eyes. Eyes that didn't resemble her mother's at all. In fact, they were a very familiar shade of green.

A shade Tony saw everyday when he looked in the mirror.

_This_, Tony thought with difficulty, _might be an issue._

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**Hey guys! Because you are all amazing, I will put up another chapter really quickly. I like this one. Lots of drama and realizations, which is what I was aiming for. I was planning on originally having Tony find out Anna had a daughter later on, but I figured now was as good a time as any. Thank you all so much for the reviews and alerts ( I had 17 for this story! In one day!) so keep it up and more chapters will come quickly! Any suggestions or comments, please review! Thank you again! **

**P.S. – Ok, this is already too long, but whatever. I found a picture of what I want Anna's daughter to look like (you'll find out her name later) and posted it on my profile right before the list of stories. I don't think I can, but I'll try to put it here, too**

**Thanks! **

**ZIVA ZIVA ZIVA!!! Omg I am soooo sorry! I have been spelling it wrong! I promise no more errors, lol my computer thinks it has an "e." **

**Thank you to all of you who pointed it out. I owe you something cool :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ahhhh! Sooo sorry for not updating sooner. I gave myself a Gibbs slap to make up for it.**

**Haha, so thank you so much to MythsndLegends for the name error. My computer was set to correct to "Zeva", and not the correct "Ziva." Thanks, now it will be right.**

_A shade Tony saw everyday when he looked in the mirror._

_This, Tony thought with difficulty, might be an issue._

The picture frame slipped out of Tony's hand and fell to the floor, a small thump registering far back in his mind. Those eyes...he couldn't get them out of his head. Well, of course he couldn't; they were his. _His_ eyes, and there was no escaping that.

No.

Why was this happening to him?

Just when everything had been going good, this came and just...well, he didn't really know.

The sound of heavy boots rang down the hall and brought Tony back to reality as Ziva looked from room to room for Tony. "Tony? Are you in here?" she called from down the hall.

"No," he tried to yell back, but found his voice wasn't working. No sound was emitted when he opened his mouth, so he just let it hang slack as he turned to face the door.

"Tony, you scared us back there..."she looked up at his face and responded, "What's the matter? You look like hell."

Now, see, here's the problem with that statement. Tony knew what hell was. Hell was waiting to die of a hundred year old disease that no one would help you out with. He'd been there and back when he watched Kate die. Then over again with Jenny. Not to mention the countless times on his father's account. This time, it felt like hell had come to him. Inside, he felt like he was on fire. Hot flames licked at his throat, drying every word he tried to say and reducing it to ashes in his mouth. The way his stomach rolled and flipped felt like a hot poker being stabbed in his midsection over and over. His eyes watered excessively and he made no notion to stop them.

Outside, he was the complete opposite. His palms were so cold he felt ice cubes hanging at his side, and his face had broken into a cold sweat. His feet felt frozen into his shoes, and he swayed on the spot.

"Tony?" Ziva's face contorted into a mask of worry. "Tony!" and she made a move to catch him as he stumbled forward. "I'm fine, Ziva I'm fine." He mumbled as he gained more control over his speech skills.

All he could think about were those eyes. The color was dead on, there was no denying it. But what he didn't understand was how young she was. Anna had last seen him about sixteen years ago, so the age didn't add up.

Ziva heard a call from Gibbs downstairs, shot Tony a worried glance and left the room. Taking deep breaths to stop the spinning, Tony sat down on the bed. The picture rested next to him, photo side down. The wood on the back had been written on, a date, maybe. He grabbed the frame and brought it up to his face, examining it for the date it was taken. A light hand had drawn on the back with pencil, "Katherine at the park, 1997." Doing the math in his head, she was about three or four at the time of the picture. Which made her now...

"Sixteen. Just about sixteen." He hadn't realized he spoke the words out loud until his reflection in the glass mouthed the words out in front of him. The glass was a bit dusty and he could only see himself slightly, his image blurred and drawn by the dust. Tony thought that this must be how Anna viewed him; his former self known, but blurry and unclear as to his next move.

After a few more minutes of contemplating what to do, he stood with a sigh and headed downstairs to help Ziva and the rest of the team. Tony's personal issues could wait to be dealt with later.

Back at headquarters the team organized the day's events onto a board. They knew this much; the house the shooting had taken place in belonged to Anna Reynolds, a woman of about forty one, and had one daughter, Katherine, who was sixteen. The daughter was being located, but no one quiet knew where she was yet. The shooter was a thirty two year old neighbor who had only run into the house as a precautionary and not as a target, so less focus on the family and more on him.

McGee came into the office and sat down at his desk with a sigh. Tony looked up and asked if he has found the daughter. The younger man shook his head and put his hand over his eyes. Tony silently cursed himself and turned back to his computer screen, a thousand questions flying through his head at once. Where was Katherine? Would she recognize him right away? Would it be hard to see her and not have her know?

Ziva looked over at him and asked him what was wrong. "Tony, I have never seen a case upset you so much. Her daughter will show up, it's just a matter of time."

"Time." McGee groaned and slapped his head. "Boss, she's only sixteen. It's about twelve thirty; she'll be in school today." Gibbs shot a look at the younger man that spoke without words. _Go get her._ Tony stood up hastily and tried to grab his gear but sat when Gibbs said no. "You feel too close to this case. I don't know why and neither do the rest of us, but ya do. Something's up that you're not telling us."

Gibbs had these deep gray colored eyes that made criminals cringe with fear when he walked into the interrogation cell; he commanded a room with a single glance that usually had Tony squirming and speaking within seconds. But this time, his green eyes were able to withstand the glare coming from the icy greys. Something had won out the grey eyes, and Gibbs nodded his head towards Tony who hesitated a moment, then bolted from his desk to the elevator, already planning the fastest route to the local high school.

"Uhh...boss?" McGee asked the older man. "Ya, McGee?" he said as he turned from watching Tony and his dramatic exit. "Katherine doesn't go to the local high school, or the one on base, she goes to an outside one a bit out of the area." Gibbs rolled his eyes over to McGee as he silently said, "_And when were ya gonna tell him that?"_ "I'll get on that, Boss." McGee called Tony and told him that the coordinates and directions were sent to his car. Tony listened and muttered thanks, hanging up on the newest team member, who in turn made a face about how he felt towards the senior agent.

Ziva looked up from her paperwork and muttered, "Men. Go fixate."

"It's figure, Ziva. Go _figure."_

Tony pulled up to the high school in a rush of dust and squealing tires. His car slammed to a stop as he flew from the car and ignored the annoying school yard lady in a flashy orange vest telling him it was illegal to park there, but he silenced her with a flash of his badge. He yelled in her face, asking where the main office was, and she pointed a shaky finger off somewhere to the right of the main building.

Taking off, he noticed all the strange looks he was getting, so he slowed down and tried to calm himself. Straightening his tie and pulling his jacket down and out in the sleeves, he hoped he looked more normal. Besides the teens walking around him, he noticed a strange sensation coming over him. It was a feeling of remembering; of passing notes when the teacher turned his back to the class, of laughing at the kid who got toilet paper stuck to his shoes, of spitting paper balls into the opening of the band kid's instruments, and of taking someone down to under the bleachers to be out of sight from the tearing eyes of your peers. His palms started to sweat and his heart rate increased. There was only one place, aside from your girlfriend's parents' house, that could have this effect on him.

High school.

Looking around the open school yard, he saw that the building was designed in a wide U, with the top opening towards you as you walk in. The gym and the auditorium were off to the left, and the library to the right. As you walked in a glass structure covered your head from rain or snow, depending on the season. The parking lot was in front of the whole school and wrapped around to the right of the building. It was old, and made to look like a historic structure, with ivy draping the walls and climbing up towards the roof. Archways took places of doors, and almost all of them were wooden.

The cliques clearly stood out in his mind, but weren't really defined by the location of people. Everyone looked happy and content to sit in a general mass and not exclude those who didn't have the same social status. Sure, people were defined by looks, but it wasn't brutal. Tony relaxed a bit inside, for he thought that having this kind of environment would be better for a kid than the harsh society he grew up in.

As he pushed through the wide doors with one hand, he held the other in his pocket, searching for his note of authority to take Katherine, when a redhead turned the corner up ahead and raised her eyebrows at him. "Are you a visitor here, sir?" she asked, with a slight drawl in her voice. She was shorter than average height and really small. Her yellow jacket covered a purple t-shirt with a band name on it. Her jeans had small rips in them and looked like she had been climbing fences. Black sneakers with white laces were on her feet and looked worn. Her hair was an unruly mess of curls, and they reminded him of Anna. A small laugh bubbled to his laugh, and the girl just stared at him, her pink gum halting in half chew.

"Oh. Yes, sorry. I'm looking for the main office?" he stumbled over. She turned and tried to hide the roll of her eyes, but Tony was a trained agent, he caught it.

While the girl walked him to the office, he noticed attributes in her, and the other students, that he hoped his, God, _daughter_, would have or not have. He like the hair on his guide, just not the color. She mentioned her name was Kenet, and she launched into a pre planned speech.

With a sigh, Kenet said, "Welcome to Cedar Point High, home of the kangaroos, established in 1814, when..."

A girl who bent over the drinking fountain was wearing all black some chains that crossed her chest in a scary way caught Tony's eye as they walked by. Kenet kept talking, but he wasn't really listening. When the girl at the water fountain turned around, he saw the thick eyeliner that filled the area under her bright blue eyes and made her look like a raccoon. He shivered and prayed Katherine wouldn't wear makeup like that.

"...and ever since then, the crack has remained in the same place, never fixed. Ya know, I never liked that crack. I always thought it was annoying, especially since..."

A girl walked down the hallway in the middle of a group of boys who clearly worshiped her. She was a stunning blond, but her shirt didn't meet the top of her lowly slung jeans, and normally he would have made a comment to her, but thinking about Katherine stopped him. As she passed, he noticed the band of cloth above her pants. _Dear God, no..._

"...and I know I'm supposed to technically give you a tour of the whole school, since I am the elected greeter here, but you look real anxious, so I'll just take you to the main office right away. But if they ask, you saw everything, ok? I'm sure you're here for a good reason."

He looked at her gratefully and she smiled up at him. They walked into a room with a desk on the left hand side of the room that connected to the wall, and a narrow hallway going to a back room. The woman at the desk looked up as the door swung shut at Kenet as if waiting for something. There was a moment of silence, before Kenet jumped from her slouched stance behind Tony. "Oh! Sorry, Ms. Groven, this is...uh..." He realized he had never told the girl his name so he stepped forward and stuck his hand out to the receptionist, "Tony DiNozzo, m' am. NCIS." She accepted his hand and nodded at Kenet, who waved and ducked out of office, clearly wanting to be other places.

As the door closed, the woman motioned to a chair for Tony to sit in. He turned and looked at the plastic chair, memories flooding back to him. The seat squeaked as he sat down, and he looked around embarrassedly. No one noticed, but he still remembered being laughed at for something like that. The receptionist was finishing up a phone call that he had interrupted, and he looked around at the blandness of the room. Generic magazines sat on the table in front of him, with titles like, "College: How to find one and be accepted", "Teens and how to deal with them", and finally, "Brains: We all have one!" How different high school had become...

The click of the phone being hung up brought Tony back to reality, and he stood and walked over to Ms. Groven. She looked up and asked, "Now, sir, how can I be of assistance today?" Her blue eyes were soft, set in a kind face that matched the personality of the woman. She was older and a bit heavy, but yet seemed homey. He pulled the note out of his pocket slowly, and said he needed to take someone back to headquarters. Her eyes widened but she remained calm, as she looked up Katherine in the directory and called the classroom she was in. "Yes, hello Mr. Porter? This is Ms. Groven at the main office. Can you please send Katherine Reynolds to the main office? Oh, well ok then. Thank you for your time."

Tony had been tapping a pen open and closed on the counter of the office, and looked up as she hung up the phone. "Well, she's taking a test right now, but he said he could send her down in about fifteen minutes." Tony stared at her for a moment, then told her to just have Katherine sent out to the front of the school and he would bring his car around.

Tony walked down the halls slowly, trying to calm himself and to get a feel for where Katherine spent everyone of her days. Above the lockers were pictures of sports in the past years. All the halls had them lined everywhere and he wondered if he could find Katherine, but saw he was in the 1940's, so he figured she wouldn't be there. The years got closer to the present as he exited the building, but he couldn't find her. What he did find, however, was a bright red tow truck about to pull his blue government car away.

"Hey! Hey, no! That's my car! STOP!" He waved his arms as he ran towards his car and held his badge out towards the man trying to load his car into the truck. The man stopped and backed up, hands in an apologizing gesture at his chest. After ten minutes of arguing about why he should get off without a ticket, the man with the truck yelled a few choosy words to Tony and flipped him off, ripping out of the parking lot with a lot of dust. Standing in a cloud of dust coughing, he didn't notice the girl approach his car from the main office. She stood back about twenty feet and just watched him; her backpack slung over one shoulder. Tony turned to watch the front doors, and saw her.

"Umm...hello? Are you Tony DiNozzo?" Her voice was a bit lower than the average girl, but not deep. She stood at five foot seven and had on a light blue t shirt with a black cardigan sweater. Her jeans were a deep color indigo and she had grey flats on. Nails painted a bright pink, they clung to her backpack strap tightly. Her hair was down today, coming down in waves that frizzed a bit in the heat and parted on the right side of her face. Her face was rounder, with full eyebrows and a nose that was the slightest bit wider than normal. Her lips were pursed, one side bit in confusion. But it was her eyes he couldn't see; between the sunny day and the clearing dust, he just couldn't tell. He took a step forward and she looked up at him.

His heart stopped. There they were. Those green eyes he had been looking for.

She waited for an answer, and Tony found his throat tightening a bit. He cleared it, pretending it was dust, and said, "Yes, Katherine, I'm Tony DiNozzo. I'm afraid there's been an accident, and you're going to have to come with me." She looked down at her shoes and bit her lip again, but then looked him straight in the eye and agreed.

As Katherine got in the car, she slung her backpack down on the floor of the front seat and sat down. Tony gripped the wheel in a death grip, he felt like a nervous teenage boy on his first date. Katherine sat there and looked around the car; it was a new place for her. She tapped her lap with her hands as Tony started the car and pulled out of the school parking lot. Now that he had met her, he didn't know what to do. It was obvious right away that he couldn't tell her he was her father, he still had troubles dealing with it himself. He thought it was weird that she agreed right away to leave with him, but her mom was a Navy officer, so maybe their kids were trained differently. He looked at her and saw she was practicing a beat on her lap. "Are you in a band?" he wondered out loud. "No." she answered quickly. "Well, ok, I mean the school band, but not like a cool band or anything." She smiled embarrassedly at him. "Oh, really. What instrument do you play?" She must have thought he was making small talk, but he learned this was a fast way to find out more about his daughter. "I play percussion." She said proudly this time. "The only girl in the whole section." Tony smiled at this, and how she found it a feat. They talked idly for a few more moments before the conversation stopped. Katherine looked out the window and watched the scenery go by with a thoughtful look on her face. Tony asked what class he had pulled her out of, and she replied, "History. It's my favorite one." And before he could apologize, she laughed, "It's fine. Ms. Miller gives some of the hardest tests, so I was glad to have an extension." Tony smiled and said, "My favorite class was always gym." Katherine laughed and said, "A bunch of guys say that. Is it just because it's an easy A or because you like to show off your muscles?" And she smiled mischievously at him. He found himself laughing and opening up to this girl, and that it was easy to talk to her. By the time they pulled up to the security gate at the office, he knew all about her day at school and most of her friends. A stab of regret shot through him as he thought, "Things all fathers should know about their daughters."

As Tony hit the button on the elevator to go to the office level, Katherine asked him where he worked. "Uhh...NCIS." Based off the blank look on Katherine's face, he explained, "Naval crime investigative service. We solve crimes having to do with or related to the navy." "So, then, if this is the Navy, why am I here?" Tony said, "Because of your mother, Katherine." She scrunched her eyebrows together and looked at her shoes again. "Is she ok, Mr. DiNozzo? Did something happen to her?" Tony looked straight ahead as he answered, "It will all be explained when we meet..."

The ding of the floor being reached cut him off mid sentence, and the metal doors swung open, revealing a taller man in a clean cut suit clearly waiting for the pair to arrive. His arms were crossed and his foot looked as though it had been tapping the floor. "Well, DiNozzo took ya long enough, didn't it?" And even Gibbs didn't understand how the underlying double meaning in his words stung as he escorted Katherine into the area he Christened, "The Pit."

**Ahhh! Getting so much better! I am sorry again for not updating sooner, stupid stuff in my way. I am sorry for any spelling mistakes, I tried hard to catch them all! Thanks again and keep reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Umm...please don't kill me. Haha I'm SO sorry it took me...six months...or something ridiculous. But I have a few chapters written, so be ready for that!**

**Just some feedback questions; do you guys like how long the chapters are? Too long? Short and fast or longer and a bit more spread out? Anything to help. And suggestions always taken!**

**After much too long of a break...chapter 4!**

The opening of the elevator doors drew the eyes of the whole NCIS team. In walked the two long awaited arrivals, a tall man leading a younger girl holding a backpack over to his desk. Ignoring the rest of his team, he allowed her to sit in his seat and asked her if she wanted anything to drink or eat, if there was anything he could do at all for her. More from shock than anything else she replied that she was fine. Ziva could tell that the girl had obviously heard the news about her mother, for she was shaking slightly and her face was an unnatural white in color.

Her mother...

Her reserved, passionate, loving mother...

Just gone? She wouldn't accept it.

Katherine took in "The Pit", as Mr. DiNozzo had called it, and saw four other people staring straight at her. "Oh," quietly escaped her mouth, causing three of them to break and smile and making her feel safer in the hands of the government. Not very many good stories had come out of situations like this.

The other man in the room was the first to speak.

"Well...ah, so. Katherine. My name is Timothy McGee, but you can call me Tim. This is Ziva David," he said, signaling to the darker woman sitting across the aisle from her, "you know Tony, and this is our boss. Leroy Gibbs." Shyly, she lifted her hand at each name and said hello. After introductions, there was a pause in the conversation where the agents headed back to their desks. Katherine sat in the rolling chair from Tony and looked around, feeling better.

Jumping up, she said, "I think I'm gonna go get some...water," and walked over to where Tony had pointed. Looking back at the team before she went out of sight, she mentally took a picture to evaluate them and get a grip on her situation.

McGee. The guy who had introduced her to everyone seemed pleasant. A little nerdy, too, based on the amount of electronics sitting on his desk. Katherine had always thought of herself as someone who was good with technology, but he surpassed her by miles. His suit was a dark blue jacket over tan pants and a white shirt; what she guessed as standard uniform. Tony's outfit was almost identical.

The woman, Ziva, looked like she could kick some serious ass. She was about the same height as Katherine, but obviously more built up. Spending many hours training and at the gym would do that to you, she guessed. Ziva seemed nice enough, though as the only woman on a team of four could harden you without you noticing it. It had happened before, not anything out of the ordinary.

As Katherine rounded the corner into the dining area she was glad it was empty. She sat down at the plastic table with a soft thud, and placed the opened soda bottle in front of her. Staring into the slowly rising bubbles, she finally allowed herself to think of her mother.

Katherine and her mother had always been close. Never knowing her father, it left her with only one parent to know, and she took all the advantage of it that she could. Other kids at school complained about having just their mom or dad live with them, but strangely enough Katherine was ok with it. Years ago she had come to peace about not knowing her second parent. That just meant that she would bond more with her mother than share attention between two people.

Now that Katherine was old enough to care and look after herself, her mom had packed ship and moved them out of the naval base where she worked. Katherine thought it was weird, and kept telling her mother that she should be around those she worked with, but arguing with her parent had been like hitting a brick wall. You never got anywhere, and it was not a very bright idea.

Anna had always had the American dream family in her mind; living in a small town, where the people were close, and families safe and secure from harm and trouble. Taking a drink from the bubbly drink in front of her, Katherine laughed darkly at how her mother would take this situation into her well laid out plans.

At the time, it seemed like a good idea to set her head down on the table. _Just to clear it_, she thought. But hours of homework from the day before had taken its toll, and within minutes she fell asleep immediately, not minding the cold plastic against her cheek.

Back at the work area, Tony was a nervous wreck. Everyone could tell but no one wanted to be the first to mention it.

Finally, the leader took matters into his own hands Gibbs walked over to his desk and whispered to the man, "Tony. You look like you're about to bust. You better get yourself sorted out and back to normal fast or I'm pulling you." Tony barely seemed to notice the warning for he continued to type away at his computer, trying desperately to find anything on Anna. Gibbs threw his arms up, walked around the desk and yanked the senior agent out of his seat.

"Hey! What the-" he yelled, but was cut off by the look on his boss's face. "Shut up, DiNozzo" was the only response he got, and was literally dragged into the elevator that Gibb's called his office. Once the power had been cut and only the two standing in the elevator, Gibbs turned on the younger man. "What the hell is up with you? So what we have a piece of new meat in here," Tony cringed at his use of the word, "it happens. Remember when McGee had his sister here? He didn't freak out. And When Zeva's friend stayed with us? What's so different, huh? Is there something I'm missing here?" Tony just stared into the grey eyes, terrified that anyone find out. This kind of thing would get him not only pulled from the case, but placed as a prime suspect in a missing persons case.

"What is that girl..." and as Gibbs looked back at the green in Tony's eyes, it clicked. He slammed his fist against the wall of the elevator, and the small box shook. "Please tell me this isn't what I'm thinking. This can't happen now, DiNozzo, not NOW!" Tony opened his mouth to speak, but Gibbs cut him off, saying he had to tell the rest of the team how this changed the situation of the case. "Did you think about that? Did you? Because now we're housing the next-in-line of a potential kidnapping. If anyone is in danger, it's her."

Finally Tony could speak. "Then isn't this the best place for her to be? Safe inside the NCIS walls?"

"You mean safe beside her father?"

The words left a painful sting on Tony's sting being the first time it was actually said out loud. "You were a father, Gibbs. You know how this is."

Sighing and rubbing his eyes, Gibbs silently agreed. He knew exactly how it was. A daughter...the whole world of love wrapped up inside one person...the only problem was how quickly they could be taken away from you. And you could never see that coming.

Gibbs finally came to a decision. "Fine. She'll stay here. But tonight she'll be moved to a safe house until further notice. We'll switch off nightshifts guards. Everyone will be put into rotation. Ziva, McGee, Palmer, Ducky, Abby, you and I"

The fact that everyone he worked with was going to be staying with her surprised him. "Don't you think it's a little...weird to have grown men watch her?" The sentence itself sounded weird, and earned him a shooting look from Gibbs in return.

"Abby will take the first watch tonight."

Tony's eyes went wide. "But boss...Abby's a little crazy, and, no offence to her, I don't want my..._daughter_...stuck sleeping next to a coffin that contains a girl with a farting hippo."

"DiNozzo, this will be a test." Once the elevator jumped back to life and brought them back to the office, he called over his shoulder to the man left in the elevator, "if she can survive Abby, she can survive just about anything."

**I am oh so excited to write Abby **

**Love you all! R&R!**

**Next chapter up soon! I promise this time!**


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